SELBY is set to get a dedicated unit for children with behavioural problems in a shake-up of specialist educational provision in the district.

North Yorkshire County Council are to set up a Pupil Referral Unit for children with behavioural problems.

The location of the site has yet to be confirmed, but it will cater for between 15 and 30 youngsters who have had to leave mainstream education due to behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.

Coun Caroline Patmore, the county council's executive member for special educational needs, said: "There is very little special educational needs provision in Selby at the moment.

"There is no provision for children with behavioural problems, and they get shipped out to Scarborough at present.

"So, Selby is one of the areas that will see the greatest benefit from the review."

The review recommends a £47.5 million investment in new specialist schools, following an Ofsted report which branded the county's specialist school buildings not fit for purpose.

Coun Patmore said the council had applied to the Government for a grant from the Building Schools For The Future fund and was confident the application would be granted.

However, Selby district will still be without a special school. Additional specialist places in mainstream schools will be created at Barlby High School and Thorpe Willoughby Primary School.

Selby Abbey Primary School and Brayton College are set to lose funded places for special educational needs children in the shake-up.

Coun Patmore said schools had been consulted and only those wishing to discontinue their specialist programmes had seen places cut.

The authority is in the final stages of its consultation on a new model for special education.

The review will go before the county council executive tomorrow, before being examined by the young people's overview and scrutiny committee.

Full council will make the final decision on passing the review on December 20.

Sherburn-in-Elmet Coun Jim Snowball, who sits on the young people's scrutiny and overview committee and has worked in the education sector for 28 years, said: "The idea is to have more children in mainstream schools, with support. We need to get this right the first time because this model will be in place for the next 25 years."